Container opener



Dec. 4, 1951 j B, DQNNELLY 2,576,926

CONTAINER OPENER Filed Oct. 25, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 v INVENTORT JOSEPH a. oo/v/vsu. v.

AT TORNE K Dec. 4, 1951 J. B. DONNELLY CONTAINER OPENER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 25, 1948 IN VE N TOR,

JOSEPH B. DONNE LL I.

A 7' TOR/VEK Dec. 4, 1951 .1. B. DONNELLY 2,576,926

CONTAINER OPENER Filed Oct. 25, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Wl/E/VTOR,

JOSE/3H B. DON/VELLV.

A T TOR/V5 K Patented Dec. 4, 1951 CONTAINER OPENER Joseph B. Donnelly, Burlingame, Calif., assignor to Schenley Industries, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application October 25, 1948, Serial No. 56,278

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in container openers and more particularly relates to an improved can opener adapted to transform a sealed can into a drinking receptacle for dispensing beverages, such as beer or the like therefrom.

t is a principal object of this invention to improve can openers of the type illustrated and described in co-pending application, Ser. No. 785,481, filed by Joseph B. Donnelly and which said type can opener comprises generally a base member having a can receiving recess provided therein, and a head member carrying a cutter blade, arranged above the can receiving recess and adapted to be moved reciprocally with relation to a can inserted in the recess.

A specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved means in a can opener of the said type to open a can and simultaneously deform and flatten the sheared portions of the can to prevent injury to the mouth of a user due to contact with raggedor sharp edges of sheared metal.

Another specific object of the present invention is to provide an improved means in a can opener for maintaining a can immovable during can opening operations.

A further specific object of this invention is to provide novel means to guide a can simultaneously into proper cutting position with relation to a cutter blade upon movement of the cutter blade to cutting position.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a can opener a shield, movable with a cutter blade, to form a protective covering over the top of can during can opening operations.

Further objects of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the can opener showing the head member in normal inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the can opener showing the head member in operative or cutting position.

Fig. 5 is a front elevational view thereof.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of 2 Fig. '7 is a sectional view taken on line 'iof Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 8 showing the head member in operative or cutting position.

. Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on line 99 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of an arcuate cutter blade.

Fig. 11 is a perspective View of a preferred modification of a cutter blade.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary diagrammatic view illustrating a portion of the shield and the point of the cutter blade piercing the top of a can.

Fig. 13 illustrates the shield and cutter blade at the approximate conclusion of a cutting stroke. Fig. 14 is the same as Fig. 13 showing the deformity of a can after a complete out has been made by the cutter blade and after the cutter blade has been withdrawn.

Fig. 15 is a top plan view of a can which has been opened by the present invention.

Referring more specifically to the drawings the a can opener comprises a base member, indicated generally at A, which may be formed of cast metal or other suitable material and which is provided with a can receiving recess, indicated generally at 16 which, in turn, comprises more specifically a horizontal platform I! and a rear wall l8 formed arcuately in cross-section to conform to the contour of a conventional or standard type beer can or the like which may be inserted within the said recess. An arcuate flange 20 is provided around the top rim wall l8 to project outwardly into can receiving recess [6 a short distance substantially equalling the width or thickness of a top bead of an ordinary beer can.

The head member of the can opener, indicated generally at B, is somewhat helmet-shaped and is provided with a depending shield portion 19 which is flared slightly outwardly adjacent the bottom thereof and which is formed arcuate in cross-section to conform to the contour of a beer can. Head portion B is arranged and constructed to move vertically reciprocally with relation to the can receiving recess 15 in the base member by means which will hereinafter be more fully described.

A hollow interior compartment, indicated generally at C, is formed in the base member A and is defined by arcuate wall I 8, top piece 2|, side walls 22 and bottom piece 23. Disposed transversely across compartment C and journalled to opposite sides of walls 22 is an axle 23 upon which is mounted a pinion 2:3. Handle 25 is suitably attached to axle 23 to serve as a means for manually rotating said axle and the pinion 24. A

I rack 21, in meshed engagement with pinion 24 is disposed slidably vertically in a guideway 25 and extends upwardly through the top of base portion A to connect, as at 28, with head member B.

A semi-circular cutter blade, indicated generally at 29, (which may be either of the type indicated in Fig. or of the type illustrated in Fig. 11) depends downwardly from head member B to overlie that portion of the can receiving recess it which is adjacent arcuate wall :8. The

cutter blade may be attached in any suitable manner to head member B, but preferably the blade is attached by providing a cut-out portion in the head member and retaining an inserted blade therein by set screws, such as indicated at 3|, in order to make the cutter blade readily removable from the head.

A cutter blade of the type shown in Fig. 10 is arcuate in cross-section and triangular in elevation and is provided with substantially triangular baiile member 32 that is welded or otherwise suitably attached to the blade portion and which is disposed longitudinally of the blade and centrally thereof. The baffle 32 terminates short of the piercing point of the blade 33 and does not project further inwardly at any given point C than the cutting edges 34 of the arcuate blade immediately opposite said point.

Referring to Fig. 11 there is illustrated a preferred modification of a cutter blade which comprises a piece of cutting material arcuate in crosssection and triangular in elevation and into which has been formed two angular cuts indicated at 35 and 36. The portions of the material defined by said cuts are shown as having been bent inwardly at approximately 90 to form a pair of triangular shaped baffles 31 and 38 which lie substantially parallel to one another and are disposed longitudinally of the cutter blade. Forming the cutter blade in this latter manner affords certain advantages over a cutter blade of the type illustrated in Fig. 10 in that two baiiles are provided in lieu of the one baffie as shown in Fig. 10, and moreover, the blade and baflles of the type shown in Fig. 11 may be die-stamped out of one piece of material thereby resulting in a saving of both material and time.

The operation of the canopener is as follows: With the head member B positioned in its normal upward and inoperative position as indicated in Fig. l, for example, a beer can or other container to be opened is positioned within the can receiving recess 56 in such manner that the can rests upon platform ll. When the can is operatively positioned within recess 16 in cutting position, arcuate flange 253 overlies and is in engagement or near engagement with the top bead 39 of the can. As has been indicated above, rear wall 18 is formed arcuate in cross-section to substantially conform to the cylindrical contour of a can, and this arrangement permits the can to be rapidly and accurately placed in cutting position within the can receiving recess preparatory to the opening of the can. After the can has been properly positioned within the recess in the above described manner a user may manually clasp and move arcuately handle 25 in a direction toward head B to cause rotation of axle 23 and pinion 24 which, in turn, through mesh engagement with rack 27, will cause downward movement or" head member-B carrying arcuatecutter blade 28. Downward movement of head member B will cause arcuate blade 29 to contact and shear the metal of the can adjacent the inner side of bead 33 thereof and cut an opening in the top of the can. As the blade is depressed the baflle member 32 contacts metal 4| which has been cut away by the blade edges to depress and bend same downwardly into the interior of the can.

Figs. 12, 13 and 14 are illustrative of the manner in which the blade and baiiles cooperate to form an opening in the can.

The cutter blade of either the type illustrated in Fig. 10 or Fig. 11 exerts a compressing action against the portions of the sheared metal which lie adjacent the bear 39 and causes the sheared portions of said metal to bend inwardly to flatten against the inner top rim of the can such as indicated at 42. In this respect it is noted that the can is abutting at all times firmly and snugly against the wall I 8 to prevent any chance of slight lateral. or rearward movement of the can during cutting operations and during the time that the sheared metal is compressed and flattened against the head 39 of the can.

The shield it which depends from head 13 serves at least two important functions during can opening operations. In the first place, it is possible that a user in positioning a can in the can receiving recess may, for one reason or another, improperly align the can with respect to the cutter blade, or neglect to position the can that it abuts firmly and snugly against arcuate wall [8. Shield It, therefore, is formed with thebottom portions thereof flared slightly outwardly and depending downwardly further than the cutting point of the cutter blade '25. Thus,

when the head is moved downwardly toward the can, it will be seen that the flared portions of the shield will engage the outside of an improperly aligned can and will in cooperation with the portions of the base member defining the recess guide the can into proper and exact alignment with respect to the cutter blade prior to the time that the cutter blade is moved sumciently far to contact the top of the can.

Secondly, shield I9 is adapted to serve as a protective cover or shield during can opening operations to prevent the possibility of a user becoming injured through accidental or careless contact with the cutter blade. In addition, the shield also forms a protective covering around the top of the can to prevent the contents of the can, such as beer, from spouting upwardly or outwardly and splashing persons within the vicinity of the opener.

After the cutter blade has been moved downwardly a full stroke to cut an opening in a can, movement of handle 25 back to its original position as illustrated in Fig. 1 will cause head B to move upwardly withdrawing with it the cutter blade from the newly formed opening. The can is prevented from moving upwardly with the cutter blade during the latters withdrawal by reason of arcuate flange 20 which overlies bead 39. It is noted further that the arcuate flange 20 and the cutter blade are positioned closely adjacent one another, and it is evident, therefore, that there is little opportunity for the cutter blade to exert a leverage or tilting action upon the can during its Withdrawal therefrom which might otherwise be the case, for example, were the cutter blade and flange spaced substantially far apart from one another or at opposite sides of the can.

Although this invention has been described in some specific detail by way of example and illustration, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A can opener for cutting an opening in the top of a cylindrical can of predetermined size and shape comprising a base member, a can receiving recess provided in said base member having a rear wall arcuate in cross-section to conform substantially in size and contour to portions of a cylindrical can of predetermined size and shape adapted to be positioned in said recess, a head member disposed over said can receiving recess and movable toward and away from said recess, means to move said head member, a cutter blade substantially semi-circular in cross-section depending from said head member adjacent the back thereof, a shield substantially semi-circular in cross-section disposed oppositely to said cutter blade and depending from the front part of said head member, the midpoint of the arc of said semi-circular blade and the midpoint of the arc of said semi-circular shield disposed diametrically opposite one another and spaced from one another a distance equal approximately to the diameter of the can which is adapted to be out, said shield shaped to conform substantially in size and contour to portions of said cylindrical can, the bottom portion of said shield flared slightly outwardly and projecting downwardly below the bottommost point of said cutter blade, said blade arranged to cut an opening in the top of a said can inserted in said can receiving recess when said head member is moved thereagainst, the said flared bottom of said shield arranged to engage a part of said can and in cooperation with portions of the base member defining said can receiving recess guide said can into cutting position within said can receiving recess when said head member is moved thereagainst.

2. A can opener according to claim 1 wherein there is provided an outwardly extending flange adjacent the top of the can receiving recess to engage the top bead of a can positioned in said recess and thereby maintain said can substantially immovable while the can is being opened and during withdrawal of the blade therefrom.

3. A cutter blade for puncturing cans and the like comprising a piece of cutting material formed arcuate in cross-section and substantially triangular in elevation defining a piercing point and cuttin edges adjacent said piercing point, a pair of oppositely disposed angular cuts formed in said piece of cutting material, said angular cuts located inwardly of all the corners defining said triangular piece of cutting material, the portions of said piece of cutting material defined by said cuts bent inwardly approximately to form a pair of triangularly shaped bafiles, said baffles arranged substantially parallel to one another and disposed longitudinally of said blade and adjacent the center thereof.

JOSEPH B. DONNELLY REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,317,001 Clymer et al Sept. 23, 1919 2,092,550 Davis Sept. 7, 1937 2,095,660 Dooley Oct. 12, 1937 2,142,975 Majewski Jan. 3, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 589,683 France Feb. 26, 1925 

